Abdul Rahim Ishak

by Chia, Joshua Yeong Jia

Abdul Rahim Ishak (b. 25 July 1925, Singapore–d. 18 January 2001, Singapore) was a former envoy and senior minister of state for foreign affairs. The youngest brother of Singapore’s first head of state and later president, Yusof Ishak, Rahim came from a large family of nine siblings and was the only one to be born in Singapore.1

Early lifeRahim was educated at Sekolah Melayu Kota Raja, Raffles Institution, King Edward VII School (Taiping, Perak)2 and Raffles College. Growing up, he developed a deep interest in the Indonesian independence movement and socialism. Just before World War II broke out, Rahim and his two other siblings were rushed back to Perak, his father’s hometown, to escape the Japanese invasion. There he resumed and completed his formal secondary education.3

Rahim began his career as a reporter in 1947 with Utusan Melayu.4Utusan Melayu was a Malay-language newspaper that was then based in Singapore and managed by his brother Yusof. Rahim worked as a teacher at his alma mater King Edward VII School after he completed his training at the Teachers’ Training College din 1950.5 Following his teaching career, Rahim rejoined Utusan Melayu in 1955 as a full-fledged writer based in Kuala Lumpur. He was the paper’s associate editor until 1959.6

Political careerIn 1959, Rahim returned to Singapore and entered politics, his first appointment was as a political secretary for the Ministry of Culture. In 1963, he contested in the general election as a People’s Action Party (PAP) candidate in Siglap and was successfully elected as a legislative assemblyman. After independence in 1965, he remained the member of parliament for Siglap until 1984.7 A firm believer in multiracialism, Rahim stood with the PAP during the turbulent years against the pro-communists and communalists.8 During Rahim’s five consecutive terms as the member of parliament for Siglap, he served in the education and foreign affairs ministries. While still serving as senior minister of state for foreign affairs, Rahim was appointed as the ambassador to Indonesia (1974–77). In 1981, he became the high commissioner to New Zealand.9

Retirement and deathRahim retired from public life in 1987 and passed away on 18 January 2001 after a long illness. He was survived by his wife, six children and eight grandchildren. Lily Zubaidah Rahim, an associate professor at the University of Sydney, Australia, is his daughter.10

Political appointments111959: Political secretary, Ministry of Culture1963–1984: Member of parliament for SiglapSep 1963–Sep1965: Parliamentary secretary, Ministry of EducationSep 1965–May 1968: Minister of state, Ministry of Education12 May 1968–Sep 1972: Minister of state, Ministry of Foreign Affairs13Sep 1972–April 1981: Senior minister of state, Ministry of Foreign Affairs14Dec 1974–Jun 1977: Ambassador to Republic of Indonesia15Jul 1981–1987: High commissioner to New Zealand16

The information in this article is valid as at 2016 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.